28 — Wednesday, May 26, 1999 - North Shore News

north shore news

DINING

Eatery hits righ

From page 2?

Sabatuccis: Alberto working the dining room
with Old World manners and grace; Maria
toiling in the kitchen turning out good quali-
ty Italian home cooking.

It’s a classic restaurant team that is all
about the celebration of food and family.

Oh, and Italian pipes, as epitomized by the
great Caruso.

And as practised by Alberto himself when
the muse strikes or the occasion — be it
birthday or anniversary — calls for it. If that
Occasion is special enough, Alberto is joined
by Maria from the kitchen.

There is something about a guy who sings
on the job. You gotta know that he is having
a good time.

And Sabatucci appears to be having a good
time at Caruso.

Its 95-seat dining room has been repainted
a tich terracotta; ics kitchen has been over-
hauled; and its two outside patio areas — the
40-seat eastside deck and the smaller 20-
seater overlooking the harbour — are being
readied for the summer season.

If it is able to deliver consistency Caruso is
positioned to fill the hole left in the Lower
Lonsdale Italian dining scene when Vivace!
and its grand Roman dining room closed in
January.

On the strength of an initial Table
Hopping sampling, I’d say Caruso has all the
tools to fill that gap.

In the dining room: an experienced serving
crew right of the gate captained of course by
Mr. Sabatucci; genuine warmth, heartfelt
greetings, prompt service. Filling the sound-
track in the evenings is Gianni Segalerba, who
worked with Sabatucci at Valentino’s. He per-
forms assorted Las Vegas lounge classics on
the keyboard, which lends Caruso’s ambience
elements of T. ny and Tina’s Wedding, and
when Sabatucc: grabs the microphone the
restaurant’s nam<take comes alive.

Meanwhile in the i:.chen: Mama Maria on
the grill.

Her menu is not markedly different from a
lot of good quality Lower Mainland Italian
restaurants.

You’ve got your Antipasti {$9 to $10) with

- beef and tuna carpaccios, mussels marinara;
Salads ($4 to $6 bor Caesar, of course,
Bocconcini, of course, Spinach, of course);
Pasta ($11 to $14 — this is a Sabatucci spe-
ciality; iry the hand-stuffed Tortelloni con
Polo); and main meat and fish entrees ($16 to
$18; mainly veal; along with a pair of prawn
and mussel dishes). _ :

But Sabatucci has brought with him the
old Village Bistro chalk board selection of
nightly specials, which adds another dimen-
sion to the menu.

Sampled from it during our visit were a
delicious plate of grilled eggplant stuffed with
prosciutto and bocconcini and another appe-
tizer of Roman Jewish style grilled artichoke
hearts. They came with grilled wild mush-
rooms finished in a simple olive oil and garlic
saute.

Both plates were filled out with grilled

oo Gre the
BIGGEST

Late Fe:

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

HANDMADE tortelloni with chicken and
a plate of calamari and crab with a side
of grilled vegetables prepared at Caruso
restaurant adjacent to the SeaBus sta-
tion in North Vancouver City.

vegetables and a large portabello mushroom
centrepiece. .

From the chalk board’s entree selection:
grilled prawns and sea bass accompanied with
a red pepper coulis. Also on the plate:
steamed carrot spears, a wedge of polenta,
asparagus and a serving of mashed potatoes.

The only item that didn’t work for me was
the mashed potatoes, which suffered from
overly generous nutmeg seasoning.

Caruso’s wine list is a pretty straightfor-
ward selection that focuses on Italian bottles.

Price range is $15 to $50. There’s also a
half dozen available by the glass ($5 to $6).

The dessert list ($4 t0 $6) is the standard
tiramisu, creme caramel, chocolate pate,
creme brulee offering you'll find at most
restaurants these days, but, as with everything
else on the menu, they are all made in-house.

There is much thus far to applaud at

_ Caruso.

It will, however, have to overcome the
assorted logistic shortcomings of its location.
They have proved too much for a string of
restaurant predecessors.

Chief among those being parking. Caruso

" reimburses patrons the three-dollar charge if

they use the adjacent private lot. And the
restaurant has a valet parking service on the
weekends.

So if you take that into account and add to
it the better-than-average dining experience
offered and the harbourside view presented,
Caruso is thus far hitting all the right notes in
its waterfront debut.

-. and the

> BEST

G4
Our Bull Will Suvely Chase the ‘Bear’ into Hibernation, Knock the ‘Red-Shosd Clown’ off its
feet and even dethrone the ‘King’, after all ‘Legends’ can be wrong, Come down to Tigalos,

and we will prove tt to you.

1157 Davie Street, Vancouver
331-0051:

— Extracted from the Tigalos Book of Fables

Weite the correct interpretation of the above on this ad and receive

a Gee regulor side order with purchase of your beef burger. One

por customer, Valid ot Park Royal only, until Moy 90, 1999.
Park Royal, South Food Court

_ 925-2463

The beautiful location and gorgeous
Westcoast architecture of the building

were the inspiration behind Blendl’s

Bistro Bakery. Boris and Monica Schaffer,
West Van residents and 14 year restaurateurs,
had their curiosity piqued each time they drove b
the empry building situ-

ated along the winding

and scenic Marine

Drive in West

Vancouver. The stun-

ning backdrop of

Thunderbird Marina

made it even more

enticing.

| After some investigation,

Boris Schaffer and co-owner Fernando Blendl opened
BlendI’s Bistro Bakery. The bakery offers home baked breads,
muffins, cookies, croissants and the menu is increasing daily. The
bistro offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and food is also available
for take-out.
Blendl’s offers a unique assortment
of specialty items including salad
dressings, fruit salsas, and herbal
teas from the Yukon.
Chef, Patricia Blend is a
graduate of the Pacific
Culinary Institute and
adds a wonderful,
authentic Mexican
and Spanish flair to
many menu items.
You can enjoy fab-
ulous huevos
rancheros, as well as
traditional brealsfast
items, while delicious
homemade soups, salads
; and deli items round out the
| lunch menu. . .
a Dinner includes a wide variety of food including barbegued chick-
# en, tacos and nightly specials such as an incredible Paella.
| The owners of Blendl’s have tried to make their bistro bakery com-
j fortable for everyone, including hooks for dog’s leashes outside, to
f comfy couches, magazines and board games for children and fami-
lies tc enjoy reading or
playing inside. Jazz
Night takes place on
Thursdays from 7:30 pm

J and will begin by featur-
ing some local talent.

i Come in and enjoy coffee
and dessert or a deli-
cious meal beside the

cozy fireplace. A relaxed,
F217 cnt Mey 2985, ums ony # SOR ene A rele
L. a and fabulous food await
ou at Blendi’s Bistro

"GRAND

2D medium coffees and

I 2 home baked cookies for

Marine Drive in
West Vancouver.